The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-08-25
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stout like her husband, and beamed so
genially upon Tad, through pair of
brass-bowed spectacles, a moment or
two later, that his heart warmed
toward her at once.
"Our house" was funny little one
story building with what the BiXport
people call 'gambril roof" making
it seem to an imaginative person as
though it were Struggling its shoulders
with its hands in its pockets. The
windows were small. with tiny panes
of glass, and the front door, painted q
lively pea-green, had wonderfully
bright brass knocker in the center of
the upper panel. There was weather.
beaten barn at the rear. from whose
open doors issued fiocks of noisy hens,
while a number of doves ''courooed"
on the roofs in the sunshine: the little
door-yard was Overgrown with syringa
and lilac bushes, and the two or three
dilapidated flower-beds were bordered
with large clam-shells.
Tad had a good chance to notice all
this, because the Flaggs were some lit
tie time in getting into the house. as at
every few steps Mrs. Flagg had to stop
and speak of some bit of news, paren-
thesizing the same by giving Polly a
hug.
Polly had certain Bostonian expert
ences to narrate-particularly the one
where Tad and Bounce were prominent,
and even Captain Flagg himself tarried
on the doorstep a moment, to Illus
trate, by penciled diagram on the
threshold, the whereabouts of the
Mary j." when it came on to blow
heavy from the west ard the first night
out.
But finally they all got into the din
ing-room, where Ted seated himself in
a very uncompromising chair made to
fit into 4 corner, and sitting on the ex-
IRENE verge thereof, with his cap held
in both hands resting on his knees,
glanced interestedly about him, while
the tongues of the others wagged I'M
flaggingly-if l may be allowed the eN-
preston.
He soon made up his mind that the
inside of the little house was as delight
fully quaint as lis exterior. In the first
place, an oak wainscoting ran around
the walls nearly as high as Tad's Shout
der. All the furniture was black with
age, and of the severest hair-cloth and
mahogany order, for, like the house, it
had been in being considerably over a
century. In the corner stood a tall,
pale-faced clock, that had monotonous-
ly licked away hundred and ten years,
second by second. On the mantle were
some sea-shells, pair of china vases,
and small wooden ship, whitfield out
by Ephraim X. Small. And beneath the
mantle was a large open fireplace,
where the fire itself leaped up inces-
sanity and rubbed its glowing hands
together, with warm smiles that were
reflected in the polished faces of the
brass-headed andirons just such a
fire as one likes to sit in front of when
it is showing and sleeting and blowing
out-Of-doors, and listen to tales of ship
wrecks and storms at sea.
After dinner Polly took Tad out to
make the acquaintance of the pig and
hens, while Mrs. Flagg cleared up the
dishes, during which operation Captain
Flagg. between the whiffs of his pipe,
told her Tad's simple story, and men,
toned the boys expressed desire to get
work of some kind in the country.
why" exclaimed Mrs. Flagg, with
enthusiasm in her voice and dish towel
in her hand, '.now if that don't seem
providential like; Miss Smith ran up
to bring some yeast this morning, and
she was in a peck of trouble. Dan
Crosby-you remember Dan-he want
ed to 60 off to sea with you las sum-
mer?"